The view from our 5th floor balcony at the Marriott Surf Watch on Hilton Head Island.
For this year’s Hilton Head adventure, the Wife and I stayed at the Marriott Surf Watch on the Island. The Surf Watch is a Marriott Vacation Club property.
I have no idea what being a member of Marriott Vacation Club entitles one to or what it costs, but if I was, based on our stay this year, I would be thrilled with the value for the money.
The Surf Watch Hilton Head is a massive property conveniently located just off the William Hilton Parkway between the Port Royal Plantation and the Palmetto Dunes resort property on the south side of the Island.
The facility has its own ramp providing direct beach access that winds through some wonderfully scenic dunes and tidal basins before reaching the vast Atlantic Ocean.
One of the real treats of visiting Hilton Head Island is the opportunity to experience the magic of the Sun rising from the Atlantic Ocean horizon.
Whether from our east facing balcony or the short walk to the beach, the Surf Watch was the perfect location from which to watch the Sun rise from the ocean horizon.
It is one of my favorite activities to experience while visiting Hilton Head, and I recommend you do it at least once if you visit the Island.
The Surf Watch resort complex is completely user-friendly. There is an abundance of convenient parking, the security check points aren’t a hassle at all, and all the public areas are well-lit and clean.
The staff provides daily updates on all of the day’s available activities and special features via voice-mail and print bulletins conveniently located throughout the resort.
A view of the main pool complex from our balcony at the Marriott Surf Watch.
The resort was maintained and presented exactly how one would expect of a nice beachfront resort. The landscaping was immaculate, with not so much as a single pine needle out of place. The walking paths were all clean and free from both debris and decay.
In addition to direct to beach access, the property contains multiple heated swimming pool complexes. One of the extraordinary features, to me anyway, was a pool and cabana bar complex located just a few yards from the end of the beach access walk. We could literally walk from the pool to dip our toes in the Ocean in about 100 steps.
For the golfer, the Surf Watch couldn’t be in a more convenient location unless you were paying to stay on the golf course. I was literally 10 minutes from the golf courses located on the Hilton Head Plantation (Palmetto Hall, Oyster Reef, and Country Club of Hilton Head golf clubs), as well as the Sea Pines resort and Indigo Run.
Our spacious Master Suite let us feel like we each plenty of our own personal space.
Being in the middle of the main strip really made sharing the car with The Wife for the week a non-factor. Shopping, dining, and golf were all just minutes from our hotel. Maybe that isn’t true during the busy season, but it was great for us.
Because the original impetus for this vacation was a Buddies Golf Trip, The Wife and I stayed in a spacious three bedroom, three bathroom villa. The unit could sleep up to six people lavishly, ten people comfortably, and a dozen if necessary.
Objectively, the suite was entirely too big for just the two of us. However, in retrospect, it was perfect since we were there for an entire week and had plenty of space. Confinement in small spaces with anyone, even The Wife, for any length of time gets my crazy up.
As nice as the kitchen was, it ended up being just the place we made oatmeal and stored our iced tea and leftovers.
Everything in the villa was comfortable, from the pillows and beds to the dining table and couches. The full kitchen meant we could eat groceries and leftovers if we so chose (we didn’t, really). Nothing extravagant, but perfectly comfortable.
Okay, so the four-headed shower in the master bathroom was extravagant, but that was all, I swear.
For what we planned to do in Hilton Head, the Surf Watch was perfect. Great location, great accommodations. Our Toyota Camry was probably in the lower-middle of the pack on the parking lot swanky-meter, but I never felt out of my element.
This stay makes us 2 for 2 on positive experiences with Marriott Vacation Club properties. We had a similarly pleasant experience during our stay in Palm Beach Shores last May.
After four consecutive days of not being able to distinguish the sea from the sky, the Sun finally made an encore appearance our last full day on Hilton Head.
I realize there are literally hundreds of housing options on Hilton Head Island, from traditional hotels to timeshares and villas to private vacation homes for rent.
I have a hard time believing that the Surf Watch couldn’t meet your needs, no matter you plan on doing while visiting.
Dave, looks like an awesome resort and that you had an awesome vacation! Brian